Dutamas Runners Handicap Race Series - Race 1

Dutamas Runners had their first organised (well a little unorganised) race in the morning of the New Year's Eve. Although fun by nature it was just as competitive. I brought in the concept of a handicap race as I've experience it first hand both in NZ & Australia. So how does this handicap race works?

Firstly, we compiled best current timing of each runner in certain distance, say a 10-k timing based on trust. From there, I'll work out their estimated finishing time for 8.6k (4 loops around Desa Park City). Then, I will decide on their handicap with the slowest runner to start first and the fastest, last. Basically everyone would ideally be on a level playing field if they had given me a "fair timing" for themselves. However, it can be difficult counting in the factors, i.e. their current training, on the day fitness, etc. It's hard to estimate an appropriate timing for everyone when you don't much database on each of the runners.

As I want it to be a regular race for the group, I will keep the records of each runs and hopefully come out with better rules & regulations to make this event fairer for everyone. I am starting to think that races in KL of late is charging a little to expensive. Gone were the days where you are charged RM10 and race. Therefore, organising a handicap race like this without the emphasis on medals nor running vest, can just be as competitive and fun.

I wish I was running myself on the day but someone had to be the official, photographer, water boy, so I volunteered myself to do it, so that everyone else can take part in it. I apologise to those runners who had to pour their own drinks at the water station. Hey, I only got two hands mar.....

Anyway, here are the results for the handicap race:

As you may be confused by the results table, the position ranking column is the actual finishing position of each runner. However, due to the handicap, the faster runner (as per timing ranking column) will not be the winner of the race. Fendy won the race by the smallest of margin when he managed to pipped Kenny about 100m from the finishing line. It was such a close race. Had Kenny knew Fendy was coming from behind, the race to the finish could have turned out to be an all out sprint! The faster runners were huffing & puffing trying to chase down the runners in front of them and of course those who started out earlier were really determined not to be overtaken. So well done to everyone who has taken part!

Prizes were in wide range from toilet detergent to Tesco vouchers. There were even lucky draw prizes given out, courtesy from Ray aka Tomatoman & me as well. Nothing much to the lucky draw, as some items were sponsored item from previous runs, nevertheless there were meant to be given out for fun in nature.

Thanks to Yvonne for her contribution in one of the best medals ever (and you don't have to pay RM60 for it!). Also, thanks to Yin who came out not just to support her mum running but being the 'official' event photographer....

Before flag-off for the first runner...

Setting up DVD stall....I meant drinking station...hehe....

The first runner flagging off....Kenny (he looks like he's going for a bull fight!)

The four musketeers starting together....

3 sepuluh ringgit....

The eventual winner Fendy getting ready for his start...

The two fastest runners Melvin & Wong getting their final countdown....

Kenny giving a big thumbs up for the event...

Runners quenching their thirst....

Oh...they need to mark their own cups!

This is how you should finish your race....in style....

The top 5 prizes and medals....wait...are those cookies? It is both...cookie medals!

SH with all smiles...motivation for all...

Andrew getting his medal...

Azam just happy to be out running...

Now you see it....

Wong receiving his medal from Datuk Bin...

Chae Yin proud of her effort.....

Oh....how sweet....Datuk Bin presenting the medal to his wifey...sob sob...

This guy cannot tahan to eat his medal liaw...even plastic also want to eat!

The Top 5...

Melvin giving a tutorial...This is how you wash the toilet bowl...

Yloon....Nescafe kopi kaseh kau sikit...

This is going to smell good in my room....

Kenny....Milo Ais Satu....

The winner....Fendy Ahmad...RM50 Tesco Voucher..don't forget us when you go shopping!

The lucky draw prizes....

And someone thought that this was the top lucky draw prize...Honda cub....

Looking forward to the next Handicap Series!

Training Progress for Boston Marathon

Training is still progressing slowly. Although I'm feeling fitter than 2-3 weeks ago, I am still no where near the peak. Running a 5:00m/km pace is much easier now than before. My foot has been kind to me so far during my runs, although feeling the pain when I wake up in the mornings is still there, it is much more bearable than couple months ago. I am still trying to increase my mileage gradually, but sometimes work commitments and of course a little lack of motivation after a long lay off is expected. 

After this weekend Malakoff Run, will try to wake up in the morning for runs, so that by the end of the day, I won't have to rush back home to go out for a run. It's easier said than done since waking up early has always been an issue for me! More of a evening runs person.

I am planning a race for the Dutamas Runners group on 31 Dec. It's a handicap race where the slower runners will get to start first followed by the faster runners based on their best/current 10-k timing. Thought this would be a fun race to do as I got this idea form the time of my study in NZ. Handicap races are quite popular there. I am sure they will get a kick in chasing down the runners in front of them. Geoff will the first runner to start off and the last runner, Melvin, will be giving Geoff about 28 min headstart in a 8.6km race (Actual distance will be announced soon). This will hopefully be Dutamas Runners monthly race series and will keep this as part of a tracking to see the improvement of each runner. Chin Ann even requested me to make this like the Champions League format! Here is the listing of those taking part (there will quite a few runners who have decided to give this event a miss, but I intend to list them down for future tracking purposes).

Good luck those running the Malakoff Run this weekend and also to Yvonne & Bin, who will be doing their first official marathon race this Sun in Taipei running the Fubon Taipei Marathon. AS for me, I got to pick up steam in my training!

Road To Boston

Getting back to training is a lot tougher than I would have thought. 10-11 months out is a long time for a "break", but I think I am getting back into the groove. I've done 3 runs this week alone including the PJ Half Marathon last week."Season Best" time as Adam puts it. 1:49. Plus two other short 7km run around my area. Hope to continue on this to build up what I've lost. I've put on almost 10kg since I did Berlin Marathon, not that anyone notices it. Some did though.

Looking forward to races in the coming months, not too much about doing exceptionally well but just to gain some racing mentality back. Next few races left in my schedule:

1. Mou Man Tai Run, TTDI (Nov 13) - 5km (Ok ok, I shouldn't call this a race at all!)

2. Allianz Penang Bridge International Marathon (Nov 20) - 21.1km

3. Park City Run, Desa Park City (Nov 27) - 10km

4. Malakoff Run (18 Dec), Bukit Kiara Equestrian and Country Resort - 12km

I was reading the Runner's World Magazine today (Dec 2011) and came across this article on "Ben Davis: A Huge Transformation" and it led me to this You Tube story he made on about himself, really inspiring and you guys should watch this. Now, I'm more inspired than ever to get back in shape!

He left us with a quote, "....if you want to do it, all you have to do is do it!" Enjoy the video.

Boston....Here I Come....

Why was I talking about Boston in the previous post? Well, I am IN! I have been accepted to run the 2012 Boston Marathon. Finally get to live my American dream.... : )

Considered as the Holy Grail for most marathon runners, it attracts thousands of applications each year but only about 30,000 runners selected. It's a lot less than some of the major runs, i.e. Berlin, London, New York & Chicago, but it's the only run where you do need to meet the qualifying time and hope for the best that you'll get picked. In another way, you can also get in by way of donations.

The course

Explore the interactive course & course elevations.

Looks like I got to put on my shoe and hit the roads! Got to get ready for the Heartbreak Hill!

Boston Marathon Registration Closed

This is what you get when you logged into the Boston Marathon Official website:

2012 BOSTON MARATHON ATHLETE REGISTRATION 

We appreciate your interest in running the 2012 Boston Marathon, but registration has now closed.

The Boston Marathon does not have a waiting list, late registration on race weekend, or race day registration.

The names of all official entrants are posted on the B.A.A. web site as application information and qualifying performances are verified.

Please note that bib numbers are not transferable. Those attempting to transfer their bib numbers, as well as those in receipt of a transfered entry, will be disqualified.

The Boston Athletic Association thanks you for your cooperation.

The 117th Boston Marathon will be run on Monday, April 15, 2013; tentatively, applications will begin to be accepted in September 2012. 

****************************************************************************************************

So how do you qualify for Boston? 

For next year's edition they have changed the registration process. Here's the link to their official registration process page. 

For the 2012 Boston Marathon, registration will begin on Monday, September 12 at 10:00 (ET) and will close on Friday, September 23 (5:00 p.m.)

The qualifying times for the 2012 Boston Marathon are the same as previous years, but the new registration process will accommodate those who are the fastest qualifiers first.

 

Registration will occur on a “rolling admission” schedule, beginning with the fastest qualifiers. On the first day of registration for the 2012 Boston Marathon, those who are eligible for entry by having met the qualifying standards for their age and gender group by 20 minutes or more will be able to enter on September 12 at 10:00 a.m. (ET).  On September 14 at 10:00 a.m., (if space remains) registration will open for those who have met their qualifying standards by 10 minutes or more. On September 16 at 10:00 a.m., (if space remains) registration will open for those who have met their qualifying standards by five minutes or more. During this first week of registration, applicants will be notified as their qualifying performance verified.  

 

Registration will close from Saturday, September 17 at 10:00 p.m., ET and, (if space remains) will re-open on Monday, September 19 at 10:00 a.m. ET to all qualifiers until September 23 at 5:00 p.m. ET. Those who are the fastest among the pool of applicants in their age and gender will be accepted. Accepted athletes will be notified by September 28.

 

Important Note:  the 59 seconds allowed for qualifying times aren't applicable for those registering before Monday, September 19. 

Those registering as BQ-20, BQ-10, or BQ-5 must be at least 20, 10, or 5 minutes below 3:50:00, not 3:50:59. 

The entry fee for the 2012 Boston Marathon is $150 USD for United States residents, and $200 USD for international residents. 

  

The field size for the 2012 Boston Marathon will not represent a significant increase from recent years.

It  is going to be harder to qualify for the 2013 edition.

No Updates, No Runs...

To be honest, I have not done much running since I got injured and that is almost 8 months ago. Still run once a while just to keep myself in a little bit of shape. My foot seems to be getting better, doesn't hurt as much as it used to, but am taking it light and easy!

I will join in a few runs just to get myself back into racing mentality, but it's mainly to gain race fitness. I'm still far away from full fitness but I am doing at least 2 runs a week. OK, I know it's far away from my used-to-be 6 days a week training, but at least I'm trying to get back. It's a long road though. Can't even maintain a 4:30 pace for too long right now.

Well now, what have I got in store in the coming weeks?

1. 02 Oct - Adidas King of The Road (16.8km)

2. 30 Oct - PJ Half Marathon (21.1km)

3. 20 Nov - Allianz Penang Bridge International Marathon (21.1km)

Well this one is kind of a last minute event. I hated running Penang Bridge but a free entrance and lots of friends heading there equals to fun!

4. 27 Nov - Park City Run  (10km)

5. 18 Dec - Malakoff Run (12km)

That's a lot of races I've got myself into! Paid a hefty fee for it too. Long gone the days where runs used to be RM10-20! I'll take this as part of my training runs, my LSD! Ok....it's not really long for some, but it is for me now.

Dutamas Runners gang has gone places, participated in many races in recent months and in the upcoming races too! This weekend, there will be a few runners doing their virgin full marathon, i.e. Yvonne & Bin, the running couple. Some will be heading for Siemens, while some Pudu Charity Run. There could be some doing the OCBC bike ride. As for me, I'll be doing my Not So Long Slow Distance.....

Preparation For Upcoming Races

There are couple races to prepare for this year. Not much I can do to clock a good time in the coming months as I have not recovered fully from my injury on my left foot. Anyway, I was more than happy to help the others to prepare for their races. Some to better their time, some running for the first time.

Key races:

1. Adidas King of The Road - 2 October 2011(Official website, click here)

2. Malakoff KL Run - 18 December 2011(Registration open: Click here)

Dutamas Runners group have been training hard and recently had their first group circuit training. This is where we did 10 forms of exercises. We couldn't find an indoor place and our plan to have it inside the outdoor tennis court in Anggunpuri Condo was foiled by heavy rain that started late evening. However, we made the most of it by having the training done in the basement carpark of the condo. It was torturous but I felt that everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves (HOPEFULLY!).

Here's a video posted in facebook by Andrew Hsien. Click here.

There will be a training run this Wednesday at Desa Park City (DPC) at 8.30pm. For anyone who wants to join, please meet us at the carpark next to the clubhouse of DPC. Distance will be around 8km, 4 loops around DPC.

Some of the other activities we did:

1. A trekking adventure to Sg Kanching

2. Participation in Pacemaker Anniversary Run 7 - Taman Metropolitan Kepong

The Porklings

3. And as always, when you run, there's always good food waiting for you at the end.

So join the Dutamas Runners Revolution.....

2 Races In 2 Weekends

It doesn't seem like much to run a total of 17.2km in two races over two weekends but with my current fitness, it seems like a daunting task. Glad that I got through both races fine. Foot does hurt at times but after a few kms it's not as bad, but I just hope I am not making it any worse off.

Good to have a few of the Dutamas Runners finishing their first marathon and also first ever running race.

Congrats Melvin, Lynn, Azam and Kenny on their first marathon debut. And congrats to Geoffery for his first ever running race.

For the rest, well done as some of you did their PBs. For me, I'm just glad that I finished both races in one piece.

Run No. 1

Run No. 2

Have not registered for any runs in the next coming months but hopefully to get back into training mode soon. Somehow I think it's going to be tougher than my past comebacks.